Shoe-sewing machine.



AJE. PRESTON.

- SHOE SEWING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 21,1901.

Patented Aug. 3, 1909.

"MEIEWw %M%W m I by F. PRESTON.

SEWING MACHINE.

PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP 1. Patented Aug. 3, 1909- 5 SSSSSSSSSS ET2.

I I I A. F. PRESTON.

SHOE SEWING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 21, 1901.

Patented Aug. 3, 1909.

5 SHEETSSHEET 4.

A. F. PRESTON, SHOE SEWING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 21, 1901.

Patented Aug. 3, 1909.

5 SHBETSSHEET 5.

liwenior: Ck. E5. W

UNITED STATES-PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT F. PRESTON, OF EAST EOS'PON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, TO UNITED SHOE MACHINERY COMPANY, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A COR- PORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

SHOE-SEWING MACHINE.

.. Patented Aug. 3, 1909.

Serial No. 65,406.

or other similar forms of stitches; and

(second) to provide a construction characterized by the absence of a shuttle or equivalent part, whereby the loop which receives the locking thread may be relatively small, and the thread from which the loops are formed subjected to muc'lrles friction and wear than has hitherto been ossible.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a shoe-sewing machine with the smallest ossible number of parts, all of which shrill be 'ositively actuated, whereby the machine 1- be simple in construction and positive in operation. I I

As the inventlon is shown u on the accom anying drawings, it is em odied ina mac ine for uniting the edge of an outsole of a shoe with the welt, but I desire to have it understood at the outset, that the invention is not limited to such .an embodiment, but may take the form of a welting machine, or any other variety of shoe-sewing machine.

Briefly speaking, the machine, as shown, is provided with an awl and a hooked-needle, oth of which are curved and which oscillate about acommon axis,the upper and lower threads being drawn from a suitable source of supply, and the u per thread being laid along the surface oi the sole and assed through each loop of the underthrea The .awl penetrates the work andforms an opening for the curved needle which passes down through it and receives the under thread from afisuitable' looper. The needle then draws the thread in a loop up through the work, and a hook is passed through the loop and the up r three is engaged with it,. and subsequent y drawn by said hook through the loop, theunder thread being drawn taut by the formation of the next loop, so as to set the stitch. The end of the upper thread is loose and in starting to sew a shoe, 8.

length of the upper thread e ual to the lineal measurement of the line 0 stitches to be taken, is drawn out from the upperthread spool, and each time the said 11 per thread is drawn through a 100 the w ole loose end isdrawn out sothat form a perfect lock-stitch without the aid of'a shuttle,- a thing which I believe has never been done before. a The loose end growsshorter and shorter as the stitching progresses, as will be readily understood, unti the complete course has been sewed.

I provide mechanism for effecting the feed,- ing of the work, this comprising the needle carrier, the awl carrier and devices between,

1. Fig. 5 represents a section on line 5-5 of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 represents a section on line 66 of Fig. 1. Figs. 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 illustrate the carriers for the awl and the needle and mechanism for causing the feeding of the shoe. Figs. 12 to 17, inclusive, show the 100 or for the up er thread. Figs. 18 to 21', inc usive, show t e formation of the stitch. Referring to the-said drawings-+30 indicates a standard, provided at its top with the head 31. In the rear of the head 1s journaled a shaft 32 equipped with a belt-wheel 33, the bearings for the shaft being indicated at 34 35. Fromthis shaft the various operative parts of the machine are actuated.

In the front of the machine are journaled the two trunnions or stud-shafts 36 37 for the needle carrier 38 andthe awl carrier 39,

, res ectively. The needle carrier is equipped wit the curved barbed needle 40, and on the awl-carrier is the curved awl- 41, and also a pricking tool 42. The stud-shaft for the 'awl carrier is adapted to slide in its bearings to provide for feedingthe work. The two carriers have a pin-and-slot conn'ectiongthe pin being indicated at 43, and the slot at 44,-

-the one being secured to one ofthe carriers, and the other being formed in the other of said carriers to permit a partial rotative movement of one relatively to the other.

During this rotative or oscillatory movement,

11, and being screwed in one carrier and hav mg a knob 45 placed loosely in a socket in the other carrier. These connecting rods are normally arranged at an inclination to a plane at right angles to the axis of the trunnions 36 37, so that by movin one-of the carriers relatively to the other, in one direction, the connecting rods will be caused to assumea position more and more nearly parallel to the said axis with the result that the carriers are forced apart, and by moving it in the opposite direction, the connecting rods draw said carriers together.

The needle-carrier .is actuated positively from the driving shaft, and it has a certain free movement in either direction before the awl-carrier is caused to move with it, and it is during thisfree movement that the awl carrier is moved axially relatively to the needie-carrier. When the needle-carrier is moved forwardly, so as to thrust the needle throu h the work, the awl-carrier is moved latera y toward it, so as to bring the point of the awl in the path of movement of the oint of the needle,'and when the needle-earner is actuated inthe reverse direction to draw the needle out of the work during the initial movement of the said carrier and before the awl carrier is moved with it about its axis, said awl carrier is thrust axially the length of a stitch, so that when it is actuated, it will engage the work atsome distance from the last hole made.

To actuate the needle-carrier, the shaft 32 is provided with a crank or eccentric 46 and a connecting rod 47, actuated thereby, (see Fig. 6). The actuation of the connecting rod 47 by the crank or eccentric efiects an oscillatory movement of the needle-carrier which imparts to the awl-carrier, not only an oscillatory movement, but also a vibratory movement in lines parallel to its axis, so that it has, as it were, four separate and distinct movements, to wit: downward, lateral in one direction, upward, and lateral in the other direction.

In order to lay the lower thread in the needle, said lower thread'being indicated at a, I employ a looper which is indicated at 48. This ooper, as shown in Figs. 5 and 10, consists of a slide mounted ina guide'Q, and having a beveled portion 50 on its rear end to be engaged by a cam 51 on a shaft 32. The forward or operative end of the looper is provided with a transverse aperture 52 toreceive the thread and with cross-slots 53 5 4, the latter being indicated in dotted lines inFig. 10.

I The thread There may be two of dle, as shown in'Fig. 4;

and is broug t back so as to lie in the slot 53. When.the needle has been passed through the work, as shown in Fig. 10, the looper is forced forward against it to lay the t read in the barb, and conse uently, when the neodle moves u ward, t e barb engages the thread which ies in the groove 53 and draws the thread u ward with itthrough the work, as shown in igs. 18 and 19. As soon as the loop is formed as shown at b in Fig. 19, the upper or looking thread (1 is drawn through it. I This said thread d, as previously explained, is drawn out from a spool or source of supply so as to leave along free end, and

I provide a device which passes through the loop and engaging said thread, draws the whole end through the loop. Two separate devices are employed for accomplishin this, one of which is a hook 55, which initia y engages the thread, and draws it part way through the loop, and the other of which is a roll 56 which engages one part of the loop formed by the hook and draws the free end clear through the loop, said roll being mounted u on a suitable rotary part of the machine, he hook 55 is mounted in the end of a carrier 57 which slides between a collar 58 on the shaft and two rolls 59 59, (see Fig. 4 The rear'end of the carrier is connected by a rod 60 with a crank pin 61 secured in the two crank arms 62 on the shaft 32. The roll 56, as shown in Fig. 1, is mounted upon the'face of a wheel 64 rigidlysecured upon the shaft 32, said roll being mounted in such position that it will engage one strand 6 of the loop formed by the thread (1, as shown in Fig. 21,- the said strand being on the side of the loop adjacent the free end of the thread (i. The result of this construction is that the hook enters the loop I) and is engaged with the thread (Z, then, when the hook is withdrawn, a loop is formed and one strand of the loo is engaged by the roll 56, which pulls the t read' oil from the hook and draws thewhole loose end through the loop 5 of the lower thread.

In order to engage the upper thread with the hook, I provide a looper such as shown in Fi s. 12 to 17. This looper comprises an oscil atory member 68 movable in an annu lar guideway surrounding an annular flange 69 which is open for the rece tion of the neehis member is mounted in the said annular guideway 85 in the end of a support 70, secured to the head at an inclination, as shown in Fig. 3, and to oscillate said member 68, it is pivotally connected to a lever 71 having a fulcrum stud passes through the aperture 52 72 projecting into a sl ot.73 in the support 70.

The rear end of this lever is connected to a crank-pin 74 on the end of a drum 75, pivotally'mounted upon a stud pro'ecting downwardly from the top part of't e head, said stud being indicated at 76. Around the drum 75 is passed a flexible cord or band 78, one endof which is connected to a stud 79 on the actuator for the needle carrier, and the other end of which is yieldingly connected to the guide 49 by a s ring 80. When the actuator for the nee e is moved in one di-v rection, the drum will be caused to move in that direction, and when the said actuator moves in the opposite direction, the spring 80 will cause the return of the drum to its initial position. The cord or band 78 (passes under an idler 81 journaled on the hea The annular flange 69 is provided in its upper end with a transverse groove 83 for the reception of the hook, as shown in Fig. 17. In order that the looper may carry the thread in position tobe engaged by the hook when it is in the positionshown in the lastmentioned figure, the member 68 is rovided with a thread-engaging finger 86 see Fig. lfilwhich is adapted to ride over the thread, as-shown in Fig. 16, when the said part is moving in. one direction, .andto wind the thread around the annular flange 6'9 and lay it across the end of the groove 83, as shown in Fig. 17

In order that the finger 86 may engage the thread and the latter. be revented from movinglaterally at such a time, a finger 87 is laced on the sup ort When the hoo 55 has engaged t ethread, the looper 68 is moved in the opposite direction to per-' mit the finger 86to release the thread and the said loop slides .up over the annularflange 69 which is cut away or beveled at 88 to per mit it to do so. As the. hook 55 moves rearward rapidly, it pulls the thread with a jerk so as to draw it taut under the last loop of needle thread.

In Fig. 12, it will be notedthat'in the support 70, there is formed an angular slot 89 in which the free end of the thread (1 may be placed, when it is desired to commence thestitching. The loose end, being placed in the groove, will beheld frictionally during the formation of the first loop until the thread is drawn out by the hook.

In order to cover the parts of the sewing mechanism, and to also provide a sup ort for the work, I em loy a hollow shel 90 which is secured to the front of the head and which has its u per edge adapted to receive the work. I alho provide a presserfoot or abutment 91 which consists of a screw passed downwardly through the top of the head and having on its lower end a smooth portion to eng e the top of the work and resist thethrus of the awl. This presserfoot or abutment is adjustable as to height, so as to provide for different thicknesses of work and also to provide for depth of indentation formed by the toolon the awl carrier, for it will be understood that inasmuch as the awl carrier has a constant movement which always ends at the same point,

off the barb of the needle.

by varying the position of the abutment, the indentatio formed by the tool on the awl carrier will lhe varied in depth.

The operation of the machine is as fol lows:The upper thread is drawn out to provide a loose end long enough for the entire course of stitches around the sole of the shoe. It is assumed that the upper thread has been )assed through the aperture in the annular ange 69 in position to be engaged by the looper 68, and that the lower thread has been passed through the awl-carrier and through the looper 48, the awl-carrier being provided with an aperture 93 for its reception. The work is placed in the machine, with both the awl and the needle in an inoperative position. The upward movement 0 the awl causes it to penetrate the work, and the indenting tool 42 indents the work on the under side, which of course, when the shoe is turned over, will be the upper part of the welt. As the awl carrier is moved in the opposite direction by the needle-carrier movin forwardly, the awl carrier is moved axisfily to bring the point of the awl in alinement with the point of the needle. The needle then descends through the aperture formed by the awl, as shown in Fig. 18, and the looper 48 is forced forward to lay the under-thread in the barb ofthe needle, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 18. The needle then rises to the position shown in Fig. 19, and during this upward movement of the needle, the awl carrier is moved axially. and then upwardly to penetrate the work at a short distance from the last aperture formed by it. When the needle is in the work, the looper 68 engages the upper thread and carries it around intothe position shown in Fig. 17, bringing it there just in time for the hook 55 to project forward and engage it, as indicated indotted lines in Fig. 19. The 0 eration of the upper looper 68 is to always lay the thread on the inner side of the loop I), or on the side opposite the hook, so that when the hook moves rear- Ward, it draws the upper thread partly through the loop b, forming a loop, as shown in 20. Just as the hook reachesthe position shown in the last-mentioned figure, the roll 56 on the wheel or disk 64 engages one strand of the loop and draws the whole loose end through the loop 11. As soon as this occurs, the parts are inposition for the needle to move downwardly through the aperture caused by the awl, the partly downing the time the loose end is being pulled out.

The loop bis cast ofl from the needle by the frictional engagement of the upper thread with it under tension from the hook, and as this occurs during the downward movement of the needle, the loop 5 is released or drawn As the needle descends and the awl also moves backward leaving a certain amount of slack thread in each last stitch is to prevent the thread reeving through the barb of the needle when each loop I) is formed thereby, and conseuently there is no tendency to'cut or injure t e thread.

Having thus explained the nature of the invention, and described a wayof constructing and using the same, although without attempting to set forth all of the forms in which it may be made, or all of the modes of its use, I declare that what I claim is:

- 1. A shoesewing machine comprising means for feeding the work with a step-bystep movement, means for successively form'- ing loops in one thread through the work, and means for successively engaging and drawing entirely through each loop as it is made the unattached free end of a locking thread.

2. A shoe sewing machine comprising mechanism for feeding the work with a ste by-step movement, means for successive y drawing one thread through the work to form a succession of loops, and means for drawing through said loops successively, in the order of their formation, a locking thread located wholly on one side of the work and having an unattached free end, substantially as set forth 3. A shoe sewing machine comprising means for feeding the shoe with a step-bystep movement, a hooked needle for drawing one thread through the work in successive loops,means for laying the unattached end of a locking thread on one side of said loop, and a reciprocating hook adapted to carry said unattached end of the locking thread entirely throu h said loop. v 4. ilock-stitc 'shoe-sewin machine comprising a hooked needle whic forms a succession of loops in one thread,ja hook adapt-'- ed to pass t rou h each loop, and means whereby said hoo is caused-to enter said loop and engage the free or unattached end of .the locking thread and draw it thro said loop, in combination "with 'means or feeding the work, between the formation of the loops.

5. A lock-stitch shoe-sewing machine comrisi a curved needle for forming a series of 00 s in one thread, a looper coacting with sai needle, a hook which successively netrates the loops and draws therethrou the free end of the lockingthread, and a ooper for coaction with said hook, in combination with means for successively feeding the work, one step for each loop.

6. A lock-stitch shoe-sewing machine comprising a mechanism for intermittentl feeding the shoe, a hooked needle for drawing the thread throu h the work in successive loops, means for ho ding an unattached free end of a locking thread adjacent to the successive loops, and means for passing through each 100 of the first-mentioned thread the unat-, tac ed free. end of the locking thread and then releasing the latter.

7. A shoe-sewing machine comprising a needle, means for causing said needleto draw a thread through the work in successive loops, a hook, means for causing said hook to enter and leave each 100 and means for successively placing in the 00k the loose end of a locking thread whereby the locking thread mation of the next loop.

8. A shoe-sewing machine comprising means for forming a succession of loops in one thread, means for drawing the unattached end of a locking thread through each loop rior to the formation of the next successive oop, said locking thread being drawn through in the form of a loop, and means for subsequently engaging the loo of .the locking thread and drawing the w ole uneattached end thereof through the loop of needle-thread.

9. A shoe-sewing machine com rising a needle, a looper for coaction t erewith, means for causing said needle to draw a succes sion of thread loops through the work, a hook, means for causing the hook to pass into and outofthe successive thread-loops, a 100 er for placing the loose end of the lock- ;ing t read on said book when it is in the thread-loop, and mechanism for drawing the order of their formation, an unattached end of a locking thread and then releasing the same.

' 11.. A shoe sewing machine compris' a needle and means for operating the same to draw a loop of needle thread through the work, means for drawing a loop of a locking thread throufgh the loop of needle thread, and means or subsequently engaging the loop of locking thread and drawing an unattached end of the same entirely through said first-mentioned loop.

12. A shoe-sewing machine comprising a needle, a needle-carrier, an awl, an awl carrier having a thread-eye for the needlethread, a looper for the needle-thread, and mechanism for operatin said looper and said carriers, whereby t e awl-carrier will partially withdraw the loop, and the needle will set the stitch in forming a new 1001).

13. A sewing machine having an awl, an and a conneetin rod connecting said carawl-carrier, a needle, a. needle-carrier, said riers, to eflect a ateral translation of one of carriers having a limited relative movement, the carriers relatively to the other, when one and positive connections between saidcarof said carriers is actuated.

5 riers whereby the actuation of one carrier g In testimony whereof I have affixed my 15 eflects a lateral translation of the other f signature, in presence of two witnesses. carrier. w l ALBERT F. PRESTON.

14. A sewing machine having an awl, an l \Vitnesses: awl-carrier, a needle, a needle carrier, said M. B. MAY,

10 carriers having a limited relative movement GEORGE PEZZETTI. 

